The new product provides all of the membership management, personalization,
aggregation, security, and integration services needed to deploy today's
demanding e-commerce portals, the company said.

While many portal products offer specialized functionality, such as knowledge
or content management, iPlanet Portal Server is the first platform to enable
the dynamic creation of a portal that aggregates those functions and presents
them in a consolidated format based on the user's preference, a statement issued by the company said.

The framework makes it easy for companies to plug in value-added applications
and services from other leading portal and e-commerce vendors such as
Actuate, E.piphany, grapeVINE, Hyperion Solutions, Macromedia, Net.Genesis, and Net Perceptions. It also enables companies to focus on their core competencies, rather than developing all of the necessary components of a portal, Wes Wasson, a spokesperson for iPlanet said.

The iPlanet Portal Server will be available in two formats: iPlanet Portal
Server, designed for local hosting and administration by the enterprise; and
iPlanet Portal Server: Service Provider Edition, which will offer enhanced service
provider hosting capabilities.

iPlanet Portal Server and iPlanet Portal Server: Service Provider Edition will
be available in the second quarter, with both per user and per CPU pricing
available.